Category: Woodworking

Designed and built Rosalia her own “big girl” twin-size bed. The headboard, footboard, bed rails and guard rails are all made from solid birch. The mattress frame is made from select pine. The footboard and headboard are glued so they’re permanent pieces. The bed rails attach using fancy hidden hardware that saved me the time from pounding out mortises. The guard rails are fastened using screws, so they can be removed with age.

The bed is a solid as a tank, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Rosalia loves her big girl bed.

Built a new workbench to replace the treated-lumber table I made a few years back. The problem with the old one was that it was made in a hurry (an hour before people were coming over to eat outside) so using wet treated lumber caused it to warp, and the casters were never really mounted in a way that made it easy to use. It just took up room and collected junk. What’s the point of having a workbench table if you don’t use it?

The goals of this version were:

Super mobile – I want it to be able to move around the garage to wherever I need it

Table saw height – I want to use it as an out-feed table. Also, I find working at the table saw comfortable because it’s just the right height (~37″)

Rock solid – I want to be able to bang on it and put really heavy things on there without it warping or distorting

Small enough to be functional – I want the table to not take up as much room as the other worktable, which just was a dumping ground for 4×8 sheets of plywood. The size of the top is just large enough to accommodate the bed project I’m designing.

Easy clamping – I want to be able to clamp work pieces down to the table really easily. The 2×4 lip around the edge of the table made clamping a dream.

Good work surface – I like using the cast-iron top of the table saw for general working, but I don’t like to risk damaging the top. I also like the flat and smoothness of MDF, but it can damage easily. I chose this cool black melamine top, which combines flatness and easy to clean surface (one that glue squeeze-out will be easy to clean)

We received an heirloom crib that many family members used. In order to use it however, some work needed to be done to bring it up to safety standards.

First, it was originally a drop-side crib. These things are deathtraps to today’s standards. Additionally, the wall slat width was substantially larger than todays ~2″ standard. Those two things combined basically meant that new walls needed to be built from scratch. Also, my father-in-law spent some effort refurbishing and paining the crib before I took it over.

With the new bandsaw in the garage, I felt like taking on a challenge. I’ve really wanted to be able to recline on the couch or in bed and still be able to use my computer, and ideally, a mouse. So I set out to do just that. Continue reading “Laptop Couch Stand”

Our company had a white elephant gift exchange where the gifts should be meaningful, not garbage. I opted to make a quick and dirty box to hold a bottle of special edition Captain Morgan 1671. The idea was to make a box that, when aged, might look like it could have held the old-timey bottle.

I made it out entirely out of scrap wood laying around the garage. Lathe strips, 1×2’s and some sort of 1″ stock on the face. Shot it together with staples and gave it a quick sand. Finished it in less than an hour, including Sketchup time.

With a kid, you run out of space to put things. We needed to clean out the garage and basement, so I built some quick garage selves like the ones I put in our laundry room last year. Nothing too fancy, but it can take plenty of weight.

Having seen various versions of toys a baby can play with when laying on their back, I decided to try to build my own version.

At the same time, I wanted to experiment with other hardwoods, so I got a 1×2 of hickory. To finish it, I used the beeswax and mineral oil cutting board conditioner I have, to make it hipster-organic approved.